ROURKELA: Robbers and snatchers continue to give a hard time to Rourkela police despite Operation Surakshya, a special drive launched to restore people’s confidence in policing and make the steel city safer.
On Thursday, two bike-borne miscreants wearing full-face helmets snatched Rs 5 lakh from retired police constable Sushil Majhi in front of the township branch of the SBI. The incident took place at around 11.30 am when Majhi along with his daughter was walking towards his vehicle after withdrawing the cash.
The two miscreants appeared on the scene all of a sudden, snatched his bag containing cash and other important documents before speeding away. The crowded SBI branch is located a few hundred metre away from Sector 19 police station.
Similarly, during the wee hours of January 4, a group of robbers looted the showrooms and service centres of Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motors and Kia on the stretch between Beldihi and Vedvyas on the outskirts of Rourkela after overpowering the security guards.
Two bike-borne miscreants had also looted around Rs 5.84 lakh from an e-commerce company employee near the Rourkela Vigilance Division office within RN Pali police limits on December 24 last year. In the recent past, miscreants looted two commuters in quick succession on Rourkela main road and Mahtab road in Plant Site area.
These incidents of snatching and robbery come amid the ongoing crackdown on crimes as part of Operation Surakshya which was launched around 20 days back.
Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said in the last fortnight, around 28-30 criminals including many from outside Sundargarh have been released from various jails across the district. Police are working overtime to arrest the culprits in new cases and also build up strong deterrence.
Wadhwani further said Rourkela police has set up 14 checkpoints at prominent road junctions across the city for night checking of vehicles and commuters to rein in criminal and unlawful activities.